But Maddux might not have to beat Cain. The Phillies-Marlins game begins at 10:25 a.m. (West Coast time), and if the Phillies lose, the Dodgers could clinch a wild-card spot before Cain’s first pitch — or perhaps sometime early in the game.

But if the Phillies win, the Dodgers also would have to win to avoid going into Sunday with the matter unsettled.

Giants fans don’t want to see the Dodgers clinch and celebrate on the field. So perhaps a consolation would be for the Phillies to lose and the Dodgers to throw their party in the visitors’ clubhouse, win or lose.